Thomas Jefferson, Revised Report, Plan for Government of the Western Territory

22 Mar. 1784Papers 6:607--9

The Committee to whom was recommitted the report of a
plan for a temporary government of the Western territory
have agreed to the following resolutions.

Resolved that so much of the territory ceded or to be
ceded by individual states to the United states, as is already
purchased or shall be purchased of the Indian iinhabitants
and offered for sale by Congress, shall be divided into distinct
states, in the following manner, as nearly as such cessions
will admit; that is to say, by parallels of latitude, so
that each state shall comprehend from South to North two
degrees of latitude beginning to count from the completion
of thirty one degrees North of the equator; and by
meridians of longitude, one of which shall pass thro' the
lowest point of the rapids of Ohio, and the other thro' the
Western cape of the mouth of the Great Kanhaway. But
the territory Eastward of this last meridian, between the
Ohio, lake Erie, and Pennsylvania shall be one state whatsoever
may be it's comprehension of latitude. That which
may lie beyond the completion of the 45th. degree between
the said meridians shall make part of the state adjoining
it on the South, and that part of the Ohio which is
between the same meridians coinciding nearly with the
parallel of 39°. shall be substituted so far in lieu of that
parallel as a boundary line.

That the settlers on any territory so purchased and offered
for sale shall, either on their own petition, or on the
order of Congress, receive authority from them with appointments
of time and place, for their free males of full
age, within the limits of their state to meet together for
the purpose of establishing a temporary government, to
adopt the constitution and laws of any one of the original
states, so that such laws nevertheless shall be subject to alteration
by their ordinary legislature; and to erect, subject
to a like alteration, counties or townships for the election
of members for their legislature.

That such temporary government shall only continue in
force in any state until it shall have acquired 20,000 free
inhabitants; when giving due proof thereof to Congress,
they shall receive from them authority, with appointments
of time and place to call a convention of representatives to
establish a permanent constitution and government for
themselves.

Provided that both the temporary and permanent governments
be established on these principles as their basis.
1. That they shall for ever remain a part of this confederacy
of the United states of America. 2. That in their persons,
property and territory they shall be subject to the
government of the United states in Congress assembled,
and to the articles of Confederation in all those cases in
which the original states shall be so subject. 3. That they
shall be subject to pay a part of the federal debts contracted
or to be contracted, to be apportioned on them by
Congress, according to the same common rule and measure,
by which apportionments thereof shall be made on
the other states. 4. That their respective governments shall
be in republican forms, and shall admit no person to be a
citizen who holds any hereditary title. 5. That after the
year 1800. of the Christian aera, there shall be neither
slavery nor involuntary servitude in any of the said states,
otherwise than in punishment of crimes whereof the party
shall have been convicted to have been personally guilty.

That whensoever any of the said states shall have, of
free inhabitants, as many as shall then be in any one the
least numerous of the thirteen original states, such state
shall be admitted by it's delegates into the Congress of the
United states, on an equal footing with the said original
states: provided nine states agree to such admission according
to the reservation of the 11th of the articles of
Confederation. And in order to adapt the said articles of
confederation to the state of Congress when it's numbers
shall be thus increased, it shall be proposed to the legislatures
of the states originally parties thereto, to require the
assent of two thirds of the United states in Congress assembled
in all those cases wherein by the said articles the
assent of nine states is now required; which being agreed
to by them shall be binding on the new states. Until such
admission by their delegates into Congress, any of the said
states, after the establishment of their temporary government,
shall have authority to keep a sitting member in
Congress, with a right of debating, but not of voting.

That the preceding articles shall be formed into a
charter of compact, shall be duly executed by the president
of the United states in Congress assembled, under his
hand, and the seal of the United states, shall be promulgated,
and shall stand as fundamental constitutions between
the thirteen original states and each of the several
states now newly described, unalterable but by the joint
consent of the United states in Congress assembled, and
of the particular state within which such alteration is proposed
to be made.